New York attorney general named special prosecutor in Cornell rape probe
New York Attorney General Letitia James has been named as the special prosecutor in the case of an alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University. The student, who was 20 at the time, filed a civil lawsuit last month accusing several members of a campus fraternity of drugging and assaulting her. Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order appointing James to investigate the case.
Hochul expressed doubts about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by Tompkins County prosecutors not to prosecute the case. James stated that her office would conduct a thorough and fair investigation into the allegations. The case has raised questions about the initial response of law enforcement and the university following the student's report to police.
Recently released information has revealed more details about the initial police interview with the alleged victim, which included more information than the statement eventually provided to prosecutors. The New York Times obtained over 1,000 pages of material from Cornell's internal investigation, which showed that it took some time for the woman to realize she had been gang-raped.
The woman's lawsuit names seven fraternity members, the Chi Phi fraternity, Cornell, a bar, and her sorority as defendants. The Tompkins County District Attorney, Matthew Van Houten, acknowledged the public outcry over the handling of the case and said his office had reopened the investigation. He presented the case to a grand jury for possible indictment, stating that his office initially declined to pursue charges partly due to state law constraints.
Experts and advocates argue that it can be more challenging to prosecute rape cases in New York when the victim has consumed alcohol before the alleged assault. Some lawmakers have called for revising the state's sexual assault statutes to make it easier to prosecute cases involving intoxicated victims. Cornell has defended its handling of the situation, stating that it conducted a comprehensive investigation and barred the Chi Phi chapter from campus, which remains closed.
The national Chi Phi fraternity also expelled members understood to have been involved in the incident.
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